It is no secret that Malaysia is known for having one of the world’s highest car prices, as elaborate in our earlier post.
But how much more do Malaysians pay for a new car compared to other countries?
Well, after doing some comparison, here’s what we found.
For starters, let’s take the Toyota Hilux.
To keep things consistent, we opted for the closest variant we can find from Australia.
In Malaysia, the Hilux 2.8G costs RM 139,888, while Australians need to fork out RM 147,548.
Keep in mind that all variants of the Australian-market Toyota Hilux (including single cab variants) are equipped with 7 airbags and Toyota Safety Sense as standard, so the slightly higher prices is justified.
While pick-up prices are pretty competitive, the same cannot be said for passenger cars.
Malaysians who want to get a Honda Civic 1.5 TC-P will need to fork out RM 139,600, while Australian need to pay RM 97,847 for an equivalent Civic.
Why the huge discrepancy between prices of the Hilux and Civic?
Simple.
Pick-up trucks sold in Malaysia are not subjected to excise duty. Even for models imported from Thailand, like the Mitsubishi Triton and Ford Ranger, there is no import duty either because this has been waived under the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.
The same cannot be said for a passenger car, as they are slapped with a 75% excise duty, despite benefiting from zero import duty.
Although car prices are on the higher side in Malaysia, we’re blessed with comparatively cheap fuel prices – our current fuel price is RM 1.38 for a litre of RON95. Folks in Australia aren’t as fortunate as us, as they need to pay up to 3 times more for fuel, on top of more expensive running costs (insurance, servicing, etc). Parking charges are also much cheaper in Malaysia.
Apart from the Toyota Hilux, the Mitsubishi Triton sold in Malaysia is also priced close to an open market.
For buyers in Malaysia, the range-topping Triton Adventure X costs RM 137,900, while the closest Australian counterpart we found is the Triton GLS Premium 4WD, which retails for RM 133,058.
Last but certainly not the least is the Ford Ranger Wildtrak, which boasts the closest specifications across both countries.
Buyers in Malaysia need to pay RM 144,888 to get one, while Aussies need to pay about RM 174,000 to get one, almost RM 30,000 more than us.
But if you want a fuss-free, no-nonsense pick-up truck, take a closer look at the Isuzu D-Max.
In Malaysia, buyers need to fork out RM 120,838 for the 3.0-litre AT Premium variant, while Australians need to pay about RM145,000 to get one.
As a whole, getting a pick-up truck makes a lot of sense in Malaysia - not only will they tackle our poor roads with ease, options like the Ranger Wildtrak or the Isuzu D-Max prove that you can get cheaper cars in Malaysia than other countries.
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